Unexpectedly, in the 1960s, a mother who was unaware that she wasn’t genuinely pregnant gave birth to triplets.

Bethany Smith gave birth to three girls, two of them girls and a boy, after experiencing a pregnancy scare during the previous month. The mother, who is from Burton, Staffordshire, gave birth to boys Rjan and Kiren on April 4 at 31 weeks gestation.

On April 4, Burton, Staffordshire resident Bethany Smith, 26, and her girlfriend Kay Singh, 38, welcomed son Arjan and daughters Kiren and Kirit. Bethany, a student teacher and part-time hairdresser, was already a mother of three children: Reuben, seven, Pria, six, and Mari, four. She had an intrauterine device (IUD) placed and wasn’t planning on having any more children. An I.U.D., sometimes referred to as a coil, is a tiny T-shaped device that a nurse or doctor inserts into the womb. It is intended to prevent conception for a period of five to ten years by releasing copper, which makes it more difficult for sperm to reach an egg and survive.

Neither Bethany nor Kay have multiple births in their family, so it was a big shock to discover they were expecting triplets. The three babies were delivered at just 31 weeks at the Royal Derby Hospital and put on ventilators immediately because their lungs were so weak. It meant the couple were separated from their brood at birth and were unable to see them for several days due to the risk posed by COVID-19.

The three babies, Arjan (3 lbs 5 oz), Kiren (3 lbs 4 oz), and Kirit (3 lbs 9 oz), were hospitalized for a duration of three weeks. As Bethany stated to The Derby Telegraph, “It was just terrible.” Because the girls were using breathing apparatus, I was unable to see them for two days. We were required to wear masks, gowns, and gloves, and we could only have one parent come each day. It was completely unexpected and incredibly bizarre. The joy of being a parent was completely destroyed by COVID-19. We were unable to act as typical parents would.